March 2, 2010

MEMPHIS, Tenn. - The Memphis men's tennis team will head to Oxford, Miss., on Wed., March 3 to take on the 11th-ranked Ole Miss Rebels at the Palmer-Salloum Tennis Center at 2:30 p.m.

The match marks the fifth of the season for the Tigers against an opponent ranked among the top 60 teams in the nation. Memphis opened the season with matches against No. 33 Tulsa and No. 38 Oklahoma State, securing both doubles points against their opponents. The Tigers have also faced-off with No. 54 Mississippi State and No. 55 Iowa during the 2010 spring dual season.

"Billy Chadwick has developed the Ole Miss tennis program into one of the best in the nation," said Memphis head coach Paul Goebel. "We are excited to test ourselves against elite competition on Wednesday."

The Tigers enter Wednesday's match with a 5-5 overall record after going 2-1 during road trips to Tupelo and Starkville, Miss., last week. Memphis continues to be led by success in their doubles lineup. At No. 1 doubles, the pair of David Henry and Jordan Smith come into the match with a 7-2 record. The Tigers No. 3 pair of Spencer Heflin and Charlie Ramsay enter Wednesday's dual with a 6-3 mark.

In singles, Memphis is led by Ramsay at the top of the lineup. The senior from Chattanooga, Tenn., enters the match with a 5-5 overall record. Henry, a sophomore from Signal Mountain, Tenn., has been playing the No. 2 and No. 3 spots for the Tigers this season and comes into Wednesday boasting a 4-5 record. Michael Gaerthoeffner, a junior from Rheine, Germany, currently holds the distinction of having the most singles wins for the Tigers, securing six wins through 10 matches at the No. 4, No. 5 and No. 6 positions.

Ole Miss has a 7-1 mark coming into the match with the Tigers. The Rebels only loss on the season came to No. 7 Georgia on Feb. 12. Ole Miss' singles attack boasts three ranked players, led by 66th-rated Marcel Thiemann. The native of Lehrte, Germany, has a 7-3 overall record during the 2010 season. Thiemann has two wins over ranked opponents, defeating 61st-rated Syketh Myneni of Alabama and No. 85 George Coupland of Mississippi State. The Rebels other ranked netters include 95th-rated Tucker Vorster and No. 103 Adrian Forberg Skokeng. Vorster is 5-4 on the season and has one win over a ranked opponent on the season, upending 49th-rated Simon Childs of Louisville.